Safety razor blade hone



May 8, 1945. G, RYALL 2,375,251

SAFETY RAZOR BLADE HONE Filed March 29, 1943 Q v I QQKQL -RyQL Patented May 8, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFlCE v I 2,375,251 I A "SAFETY RAZOR BLADE none George D. Ryall, Los Angeles, 'Calif. Application March 29, 1943, SerialiNo. 480,961

3 Claims. (01, .51---15s My invention has to do with hones for safety razor blades.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a-hone which includes, in combination, a honing member and a blade carrier so cooperatively arranged as to produce a highlyeficient honing operation without any danger of the user being cut by the blade. I

It is another object to provide a-honing device incorporating novel means for guiding the movement of the blade relative to the bone to obtain the mostefiicient results.

Another object is to provide a honing member and blade carrier so relatively disposed as positively to properly maintain. the cutting edge of the blade in proper relationship to the honing surface. ,7

Another objectis to provide, in such a device, a blade carrier having effective means for manipulation as well as for manually holding the blade in the carrier in course of assembling the device preparatory to honing.

Another object is the provision of a honing device which is extremely economical of manufacture and which, by virtue of'its arrangement and association of parts,.is:readily adaptable to honing blades of different sizes and characteristics.

Still further objects and corresponding advantages are inherent in my invention and how those as well as the objects hereinabove specifically enumerated are achieved will be best understood from the following detailed explanation of a presently preferred adaptation of the invention, wherein I shall refer to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the blade carrier;

Fig. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the blade carrier.

Fig. 6 is a reduced sectional view showing a variational form of device; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing a further variational form of device.

With more particular reference now to the I drawing, wherein, for the purpose of making my invention understood I illustrate one specific structure in which the invention is embodied, I show at 5 a body, or hone block, which is inwardly curved in longitudinal section and is preferably though not necessarily made of glass whereby to present a relatively hard or abrasive Adjacent each side edge of the block 'I provide a longitudinal groove or guideway "i, the guideways thus provided being parallel to each other and stopping short of the ends of the body wherebyto present end stops la.

A blade carrier, generally designated by the numeral 10, is shown as being rectangular in plan and also may be made of glass, plastic or other suitable material. The member 10 has, at each ofits four corners, a depending lug l2, which lugs are adapted to fit into andare slidable along the guideways 1.

A pair of spacedlongitudinal ribs 15, projecting upwardly from the top surface of the carrier, provide therebetween a finger space it into which the finger of the operator may be placed to main top hone surface 6. The body has side walls 8.

ually slide the carrier with its carried blade B along the honing surface 6. of the ends of the carrier are cut away, as shown at H, so'that the end edges of the blade B are exposed within the recess provided by each cutaway portion. By this' construction the operator may grip the carrier and its carried blade by pressing the thumb against one end of the carrier and blade and a finger against the other end and thus holding them in assembly'while inserting the carrier and blade relative to the honing member. The blade is retained against sliding relative to thecarrier by the lugs I2 fittin in the conventional cut-away corner portions it of the blade.

As is best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the carrier is at least as wide as or slightly wider than the blade so that during the honing operation the cutting edges of the blade are not exposed to the fingers of the operator, and it is thus impossible for the user accidentally to cut himself during the honing operation.

The undersurface of the carrier along each side edge is beveled as shown at 20 so as to permit the cutting edge of the blade resiliently to flex upwardly to follow the contour of the honing surface, the length of the'lugs l2 beingsuch as, when in contact with the bottom of the grooves 1, to cause the cutting edges of the blade to be thus resiliently pressed against the honing surface by the carrier.

The bottom surface 2| of the body or hone block is preferably sand-blasted or otherwise roughened to insure against its slipping when held in the palm of the hand of the user.

In operation, the blade B is disposed against the undersurface of the carrier between the respective pairs of end lugs I2, and the ends of the carrier and blade are grasped between the thumb and a finger of one hand of the user to place the The central portions carrier with its blade on the honing surface with the lugs l2 in the groove 1. To straighten or sharpen the microscopic edges of the blade, the ideal movement of the blade relative to the hone is in a line parallel with the grooves 1 and thus by my device such movement is insured by cooperation of the lugs l2 and guideways I, and by virtue of the construction described the lugs and guideways are so proportioned as to provide uniform pressure of the blade-cutting edges against the honing surface at all times. The cutting edges are effectively concealed against the user cutting himself. To slide the carrier with its blade along the honing surface, the body 5 is held in the palm of the hand with the honing surface facing upwardly and the operator uses, for instance,- the first finger pressed against the top surface I6 of the carrier to slide the carrier along the honing surface. When the honing operation is finished the blade and carrier may be lifted from the honing surface by the fingers, or the body 5 may be inverted to permit thecarrier and blade to fall therefrom.

It will be understood, of course, that I may employ an abrasive sheet cemented or otherwise secured to the curved top surface (in of the body as shown in the variational form of device illustrated in cross section in Fig. '7.

Moreover, my carrier may be adapted to hold a single-edged safety razor blade of conventional type, having a guard over the rear or non-cutting edge, and in Fig. 6 I show a variational form of construction wherein this adaptation may be readily made. Here the carrier has a longitudinal depending rib at its rear side edge,- the inner surface of which rib has an inwardly opening, longitudinal recess 3| to receive the guarded end 32 of the single edged blade B, and the rear lugs l2a are relativelylonger than the front lugs 12b whereby to hold the undersurface of the rib 39 free of contact with the honing surface of the body, which is constructed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, In this form of device the cutting edge of the blade fits under the beveled front portion 20a of the carrier in the manner before described.

Depending from the undersurface of the carrier I provide a lug which is adapted to project through the conventional hole through the blade B to hold the blade against sliding relative to the carrier.

While, in the foregoing, I have resorted to considerable detail of structure and association of parts in describing a particular example of my invention, I wish it understood that I have done so merely to make my invention understood and that I do not limit my invention to such details. On the contrary, my invention is only to be limited as appears in the appended claims.

I claim:

I. A device for honing safety razor blades comprising, in combination, a body having a honing surface of inwardly curved longitudinal section, a pair of grooves disposed longitudinally and spaced apart transversely of the body one at each side of the honing surface, a carrier slidably mounted in the body and adapted to retain a blade with its cutting edge in engagement with the honing surface and depending lugs on the carrier having sliding engagement with the Walls of the respective grooves whereby to guide movement of the carrier relative to the body.

2. A device for honing safety razor blades comprising, in combination, a body having a honing surface of inwardly curved, longitudinal section, a blade carrier slidably mounted on the body and being of a width not less than the width of the carried blade, said carrier having a flat medial under-surface against which the medial portion of the blade is disposed and a beveled side edge under which the cutting edge of the blade is disposed.

3. A device for honing single-edged safety razor blades comprising, in combination with a body presenting a honing surface of inwardly curved longitudinal section, a pair of grooves disposed longitudinally in and spaced apart transversely of the body one at each side of the honing surface, and a rectangular blade carrier slidably mounted on the body and adapted to retain a 40 blade in position with its cutting edge in engagement with the honing surface, a depending guide lug at each corner of the carrier, said lugs extending into and being slidable along their respective grooves, the lugs at the two front corners of the carrier being relatively longer than the lugs at the rear corners, and means along the carrier providinga socket for receiving the edge of the blade opposite its cutting edge.

GEORGE D. RYALL. 

